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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Ikea

Saturday me, Mom, Rachael, and Renee left MV around 7:30 and headed to Fort Worth for NaShae's baby shower.  We made several pit stops along the way and the shower was great.  Shae got a ton of super cute things for Ryleigh and she looked great.  After the shower we headed to Ikea. 

I had never been but had been wanting to go for a while.  I knew all about Ikea way before they were even established in the US because I worked for a Dutch family in high school and I would pour over their catalog.  Anyways not only had my Mom and I never been but Rachael loves Ikea and wanted to look at the baby furniture.  It was so much fun wondering the store and getting great ideas.  I left with 2 pillows and a couple of covers for them and this awesome throw blanket that looks like a sweater. 

It was a great day for us girls to bond and enjoy time to ourselves. 

Christmas Crafts

I made my Christmas gifts again this year and although they weren't much I loved them and I think all the family and friends I gave them to did too! 

The first set of gifts were coffee mugs to all the coffee drinkers.  This was also the cheapest gift.  I bought white mugs from Wal-Mart for about $1 a piece and then two big packages of Sharpies in all colors.  I drew and colored in a mustache on each cup and on the opposite side I drew or wrote something unique to just that person. 

After my expert drawing LOL I baked the mugs at 350 for 30 minutes to seal the marker in.

Drop in a brown paper lunch sack and decorate with name tag and ribbon.  You now have a gift for under $5.

Some how I deleted or misplaced some of my pictures so this is the mustache side of one mug.

After I finished those little babies the rest of my Christmas presents consisted of glass and etching cream.

I don't have a picture of the ice blocks that I bought at Hobby Lobby, etched a design on the front, and filled with twinkle lights but they turned out really cute and everyone loved them.

For Caleb I etched a long mirror for him to hang over his bed in his bedroom.


I wasn't very good at taking pictures of my projects this year but they were really inexpensive, great gifts for anyone. 

So Long....2012

Well another year has come and gone and this year I am like everyone else...I have no idea where the time went but I feel like I accomplished a lot this year.

January
- I started work on my first ever garden.  It grew well throughout the months and I reaped a lot of reward for my hard work
- completed DIY projects: lamp and chalkboard

February
- DIY second mantel project complete
- gave Lincoln a 24th birthday party
- added to our hobby farm with chickens

March
- date night saw the Hunger Games
- me, Rachael, and friends went to Austin for Callie's wedding

April
- guest bedroom remodel
- went to Grapevine for Piper's bachelorette party
- golfing for the first time with Amber
- celebrated Kaylynn's birthday
- Lincoln killed a snake in the chicken coop
- camped at the lake Easter weekend

May
- Piper & Jordan got married
- had a fun day with Averie at the petting zoo and paint your own pottery for Mother's Day

June
- Lincoln and I celebrated 1 year of dating
- Amber and I took a mini road trip to Jefferson
- Mom and I went to Canton
- Kaylynn and I went to movies to see Snow white and the Huntsmen
- Amber and I hung out all day at lake

July
- got a promotion at work
- hung out with friends at the lake for the 4th
- went to the balloon races
- visited Fresh grocery store in Tyler
- DIY lawn chair revamp and wine bottle

August
- Mom and I visited Chihuly exhibit
- DIY mailbox, wineglass, and lamp projects completed
- Kaylynn and I went to Canton

September
- Mom and I took girl trip to San Antonio
- Amazing Race premiere party
- school, school, school

October
- Kalynn and I went to the state fair
- NaShae and Ryna's house warming/ gender reveal party
- Beaver's Bend get-a-way with friends and family
- found out Brad and Rachael are expecting
- Lincoln and I carved pumpkins

November
- shot my first deer
- made smores in back yard
- voted
- first annual family Thanksgiving at our house

December
- celebrated my 26th birthday
- me and Lincoln's first vacation together to Ruidoso, New Mexico
- Christmas celebrations

I'm not going to act like this year has been all rainbows and roses because it hasn't!  I've had work struggles, love struggles, and in general, life struggles.  Although I don't broadcast the details of those on my blog I do have them but that's depressing and like all things those too pass.  I have had a really good year with a lot of first and just a lot of accomplishments. 

A look at the numbers...
1 great year
2 dogs
3 new babies that were made (Shae, Rachael, and Kaylynn)
4 trips (Jefferson, San Antonio, Beaver's Bend, and Ruidoso, NM)
21 hours of school completed
26 years...how old I turned
36 books read out of my goal of 50
 
2013 is going to bring so much....love, life, and excitement! 

I'm not even going to type any resolutions because I just break them anyways so I have some things I am going to try to work on but as I accomplish them I will let them be known. :)

Here's to loving harder, learning faster, and living without any inhibitions!  I'm ready for 2013





Sunday, December 23, 2012

Skication Video 2012

 

I made this video the other day but forgot to post it.  I made the video with Microsoft Movie Maker which was a free download and I know I'm going to really enjoy using it in the future.  Hope you enjoy!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Skication 2012

If you've been behind the times Lincoln and I went on our very first vacation together this year.  You can read about the initial booking and such here. 


day one
We left bright early on Sunday morning around 4:15.  I drove the entire way, 10 hours!  We made a few pit stops here and there for gas, snacks, and potty breaks.  One or two may or may not have been on the side of the road. LOL  That was the furtherest I have driven that I can remember and we had a nice ride just singing all songs on the radio, radio surfing, visiting, and looking at the scenery.  I love farmland and in West Texas there's a lot of it.  It was a beautiful to me.  Plus it didn't hurt that we were the only car on the road the majority of the time and there isn't anything ahead or around you expect open highway and plains so to me the speed limit was pretty nonexistent. Once we ventured out of Texas and into New Mexico the terrain changed to a more hilly/mountain type and the roads were steadily getting more inclined.  Also New Mexico's signs are weird and their speed limits suck its like 60 everywhere....me and my car don't even know what 60 looks like so I just went at our regular Texas speed. :)



We arrived at our destination around 1:30 and little did we know couldn't check in until 3.  UUHHH So we drove around and found a little Chinese restaurant to have lunch.  After lunch and a bit more wondering we ended up spotting a whole flock of wild turkeys hanging out in some people's yard.
It was so abnormal to see turkeys just walking around.  We don't have a lot of those in East Texas so I told Lincoln I felt like they were planted there or something and weren't really wild. LOL just funny
After some pictures of the turkeys we headed back to the hotel to check in, get situated, and get a game plan together.  When we arrived to check in it was snowing pretty good (for us Texas folk) and so of course we had to take a few pictures right then.  The hotel was set in the mountains and overlooked a little lake.  There was snow here and there scattered throughout the terrain and it was really pretty. 
front entrance of hotel- Inn of the Mountain Gods



After settling into our room which was really nice.  I wanted to go out and venture around the hotel and the lake.  Well Lincoln said that he forgot his boots and wasn't thinking about his feet getting wet in his tennis shoes so we set out on a hunt to find snow/waterproof insulated boots.  You would think in a mountainous region an easy feat but OH NO.  We searched clothing stores, ski shops, western stores, the dollar store, Wal-Mart and everything in between and came out barefooted (so to speak).  On our last trip down the road I spotted a Big 5 Sporting Goods?  JACKPOT!  We both got a pair of cute boots that we love. Lincoln went retro with some boots that his Dad also has (circa 1972) and so now Linc has some. He is very proud.  Along with his retro find I got some official boots with the fur. LOL super cute and I'm sure I will wear them all the time when the weather is right here in the great state.  After that little big adventure it was well past dark and heading to dinner time.  We headed back to the hotel to decide what we wanted to do.
Christmas tree in the Lobby of the hotel

Linc and portion of lobby
Once in the room we were sort of at a loss as to what to do since it was a Sunday night, we were still semi full on Chinese food and we were geared up to ski the next day.  We decided to just chill and rest because I was super exhausted from that long drive.  I took a long HOT bath and then we cuddled in bed and watched movies.  Later after a super late nap I was hungry but didn't want to get dressed so we used one of God's greatest gifts when staying away from home....room service. LOL  We both decided on Angus burgers and fries.  After we were stuffed once more Lincoln stayed awake but I hit the hay...I was so tired from the drive.


day two
After too much sleep we rose to a clear day and we geared up to head to the mountain.  First we had to get directions to the Post Office and Ski Apache.  I had to mail my books back to Amazon since the semester was over! YAY  After a 30 minute stop at the post office we headed in the direction of the mountain.  Once we turned off the main road we headed 12 miles up to the slopes.  The further we went the colder it got and we were both anxious with anticipation.  Mine to ski and have great fun and Lincoln because he was nervous. He hadn't ever skied before and didn't want to suck and he was still recovering from vacation phobia. LOL  What is that you ask?  Well on the way up there and all the first night Lincoln's stomach was hurting and he said that he was nervous to be gone away from home for so long.  I just laughed and told him it would be fine and we were going to have a great time.  I love going and adventuring...Lincoln not so much and he never really goes away from home for more than a night or two at the deer lease.  He definitely likes the comfortable and the known.  Once we arrived at the slopes he relaxed a bit and was excited to go.  Hopefully after a few more awesome trips... :) he will be more willing and less anxious to have a time of his life.  haha 

Anyways after parking, getting our ski boots and skis fitted we headed over to purchase our lift tickets.  Once we were all geared up we were set to hit the bunny slope and Lincoln was ready to learn.  Even though Ruidoso hadn't gotten much snow they had enough to open the mountain and had 2 lifts going.  It was a little early in the winter to book this kind of trip so southern but it was a risk and it paid off.  I would have liked to ski some different runs but the two we had were great for Lincoln and we had a great time.  Lincoln did great at skiing and only fell a few times when he got going too fast.  He caught on really fast and I'm not sure if he is just a natural or if it was my great teaching abilities. haha


just WEDGE!!





After several times on the bunny slope Lincoln felt comfortable enough to head over to the longer run called Easy Street. We skied until lunch, had a sort of good lunch at the Ski Apache cafeteria and then headed out for a few more hours. We left the slopes that first day around 3 o'clock.




 


On our way down the mountain we stopped at a lookout point to take some scenic shots.
 

 
Once to the bottom we took a scenic drive back to the hotel and spotted some mule deer.  They are so used to people they eat right beside the road and don't run away or anything when you get close.  These pictures aren't very good because the sun was blinding but you can see them anyways.

 
After a nap we got ready and headed to town to eat dinner at a steak and seafood restaurant, The Ranchers.  The food was really good and it was a nice ending to a great first day of skiing.

 

day three
On the third day of our trip, Tuesday December 18th, we headed down to the hotel buffet to eat a hardy breakfast before hitting the slopes. After breakfast we made the 12 mile journey UP the mountain to get in another fun filled day that wouldn't be complete without a couple baby ramps, wipe outs, and high winds.  We stayed on the Easy Street run all that day. Not many pictures for this day since it was just more of the same.


 
day four

The last full day that we were scheduled to be in Ruidoso we were ready to hit the slopes all morning until lunch and then head down to the town to grab some lunch and shop the little shops that line the main road.  When we left our room we could tell by looking outside that it looked very cold and once we were driving there were a lot of cloud cover on the mountain.  We figured it was snowing up there but weren't in for what we found once we started up.  It started snowing low on the road and once we were to the top there was ice and snow covering the road and the mountain was closed and the wind was blowing 90 to nothing.  We figured about half way up that the slopes were going to be closed but we still had to finish the trek up because we had to turn in our ski gear that we had rented for 3 days.  We hurried out of the car and turned in our stuff because we were going to get blown away and we also had to drive my little Toyota back down the icy roads!  Once we made the nerve racking drive back down we had some time to spare before eating lunch so we hit the shops. We found some little items here and there for Christmas presents and souvenirs.  We ate lunch at a mediocre Mexican restaurant and then headed back to the hotel around 1.
 
Me and Lincoln talked about it and we weren't supposed to check out until the following day.  Since we had done pretty much all there was to do if we stayed another night we would have just been sitting idle in our hotel room and that is not fun.  We decided to go ahead and check out and head to Lubbock to visit Piper and Jordan in their new home.  We left right then and headed out into the wind and cold weather. 
 
By the time we got to Lubbock it was full on dust storm.  We only visited Piper and Jordan for a little bit before we got back on the road.  We arrived at home sweet home around 1:30.  Whew! 
 
Lincoln and I had a great time spending copious amounts of time together doing something new for him and visiting a new place together.  It was great getting to experience something different with him and I can't wait for more adventures that I'm going to send us on. LOL


Belated

Well  on Sunday the 16th I turned a whopping 26!  I didn't think too much about my birthday this year because with our vacation and all the things I felt were on my to-do list it felt insignificant and just another number.  I really dreaded 25 but the past year has been great and I've accomplished a lot in my 25 years.  I'm excited what 26 has in store and "hopefully" will bring many adventures.  I spent my actual birthday driving 10 hours to Ruidoso but I received many birthday wishes from my closest loved ones starting as early as 5 in the morning and lasting all the way til the next day.  Friday the 14th my work family celebrated my birthday and it was super sweet of them. They made snacks and got me a $25 visa gift card that I used to treat myself to a mani before my trip. 
Lincoln's Mom got me a much wanted cookbook by the Pioneer Woman.  I have been wanting one of her cookbooks for a while now and I know I will put it to much good use. 

I also got a little present from myself just in time for my birthday and it is my new 2013 Erin Condren planner. 

Looks like I'm all set for the next year of my life as long as the world doesn't end tomorrow!

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